Lexus Unveils LED-Covered LIT IS with Premiere of Dua Lipa’s “Be the One” Music Video

Luxury automaker makes bold IS sports sedan even more expressive with custom design

To highlight the impressive styling of the new 2017 IS, Lexus today unveiled a custom vehicle wrapped in 41,999 programmable LEDs that turn the car into a screen capable of broadcasting dynamic graphics and videos. The car, which is designed to send a bold signal, is featured in UK chart-topping artist Dua Lipa’s new music video for her hit song “Be the One.” The first-of-its-kind collaboration pairs Dua Lipa’s powerful vocals with an ethereal storyline, featuring the vehicle as a character and visual anchor in a story that also casts actor Ansel Elgort (“Divergent”; “The Fault in Our Stars”) as Dua's former love.

This unique collaboration between Lexus and Vevo showcases the Lexus IS as an incredible work of art, technology and design through the lens of a music video. The 2017 IS has a commanding design and Lexus wanted to amplify those styling cues like never before. To create the LIT IS, Lexus used hand-applied LEDs to turn the vehicle into an eye-catching screen. In addition to broadcasting graphics, the LIT IS can also generate colorful, mesmerizing animations in response to gestures and music. Through this responsive technology and the animations, an expressive car was turned into an actual vehicle for expression, and the concept for a new Dua Lipa music video was born.

“A car as visually striking as the LIT IS required an equally dramatic debut,” said Brian Bolain, Lexus general manager of product and consumer marketing. “A music video was a perfect place to launch the LIT IS and working with Dua Lipa allowed the concept to come to life, putting a spotlight on the Lexus IS in an entirely new way.”

The custom car produces 175,000 lumens when fully illuminated, and the LED strips, if placed end-to-end, would stretch half a mile in length. Three distinct modes allow the LIT IS to interact with sounds and people in its vicinity. Attract mode features a loop of colorful graphics that highlight the strong lines of the IS and play into its bold styling. Music Viz mode is designed to respond to music, as the LEDs will create custom, responsive displays that perfectly sync to any song. Gesture mode allows the motion of the LED animations to be controlled by users’ hand movements with the help of a gaming console. This mode directly connects the car and the driver, allowing the person to send a signal and see the car respond.